This invention relates to a bell crank assembly and kit for a bell crank assembly that operates through a hole in a panel.
Automotive door modules are used in the modem construction of automotive doors. These modules generally comprise a panel that supports a door latch assembly that includes a lock mechanism and a sill button for operating the lock mechanism. The door latch usually has a lever for operating the lock mechanism that is located on the exterior or wet side of the panel while the sill button is located on the interior or dry side of the panel. The sill button usually operates the lock mechanism by a rod system that transfers the motion of the sill button to the lever that operates the lock mechanism. Although the door latch is at the rear end of the automotive door, modem automotive designs locate the sill button toward the front of the door. The forward sill button location enhances operator convenience. However, the forward location also produces routing difficulties for the rod system that is further exacerbated by the need for sealing the hole in the panel that the rod system must pass through to connect the interior sill button to the exterior latch lever that operates the lock mechanism. Thus there is a need for providing an efficient and compact mechanism for transferring motion in a rod system through a panel hole and sealing the hole in such a way as to simplify rod routing.
The invention provides a bell crank assembly and kit for an automotive door module of a vehicle that supports a door latch assembly that includes a lock mechanism on a panel. The lock mechanism is operated by a vertically moveable rod attached to a sill button located on the interior or dry side of panel via a generally horizontal rod that is located on the exterior or wet side of the panel. The bell crank assembly and kit when installed connects the sill button rod to the exterior rod through an extruded hole in the panel. It includes an inboard lever and an outboard lever. The inboard lever has an input end that attaches to the sill button and an output end that has a round boss. The round boss fits in an extruded hole of the panel with a running fit to provide an axle for pivoting the bell crank assembly with respect to the panel. The output end also has a shaped projection at an outboard end of the round boss that the fits in a matching hole at an input end of the outboard lever so that the levers pivot simultaneously. The shaped projection supports a plurality of resilient cantilevered latch arms that have catches at their respective free ends. The plurality of cantilevered latch arms extend through the matching hole with the catches engaging an exterior surface of the outboard lever adjacent the matching hole. The input end of the outboard lever has a round flange that is spaced outwardly of the shaped hole and that engages the outer side of panel outwardly of the extruded hole to form a seal for the extruded hole. The shaped projection preferably fits snugly in the matching hole of the outboard lever to prevent water leakage through the interface. The output end of the outboard lever attaches to the rod.